The Telluride ski patrol strike, which started on Dec. 27, has finally come to an end. On Thursday, Jan. 8, after 13 days of stalemate, patrollers signed an agreement with the owner of Telluride Ski & Golf Company. On Friday, Jan. 9, the resort began the process of reopening the mountain for normal operations.
“We are delighted that the two parties came to an agreement today,” Steve Swensen, a Telluride Ski Resort representative, said in a statement. “It has been a lot of work, but we are confident that this last offer represented a fair compromise.”
The resort plans to open Lift 4 on Saturday, Jan. 10, for access to Butterfly, Lower Misty Maiden, and Boomerang runs. After that, it will reopen “Super Loop” with more lifts and terrain to follow.
GearJunkie reached out numerous times directly and indirectly to the Telluride Professional Ski Patrol Association (TPSPA) for comment on this story, but did not hear back in time for publication.
Telluride Ski Patrol Union Strike: Impacts & Fallout
The Telluride ski patrol strike made national headlines when patrollers walked off the job just after the Christmas holiday, during one of the resort’s busiest times of year. The Patrol Union, TPSPA, was seeking wage increases, a new 3-year contract, and improved benefits. They argued that the cost of living in Telluride made it impossible for them to live in, or even near, the community they serve.
It’s a refrain that’s been echoed over and over by patrol outfits at resorts across the country. Last year, Park City Ski Patrol similarly went on strike for nearly two full weeks.
However, unlike the Park City ski patrol strike, in Telluride, resort owner Chuck Horning, a California real estate investor, responded by shutting down the entire resort. Business in Telluride ground to a halt as a result, and the pressure ski patrol was putting on its employer was suddenly being shared by the community at large. Combined with Colorado’s already low snowpack, tourism businesses were feeling double the sting.
According to a report shared during a town hall meeting, occupancy in Telluride was down 42% in December and was already down 5.9% for the first week of January.
An online petition posted to Change.org on January 6 was signed by more than 500 Telluride locals and business owners, and called for “unity and strategic action.”
“We are asking you, TPSPA, to execute a strategic pivot: Accept a less-than-ideal offer, end the strike, and return to work immediately,” the petition read.
“By continuing the strike, you inadvertently give Mr. Horning exactly what he wants: a divided town and the pretext to replace you with less-qualified staff. If he succeeds in reopening the mountain with replacement workers, the union will be broken, and the culture of safety you built over decades will be lost.”
The following day, more than 100 people took to the streets of Telluride, marching with signs that read, “Help Us Help You!”, “Ski Patrol End The Strike Now!”, and “Drop Bonuses Not Jobs.”
Students from the middle school marched down to the gondola, chanting, “Pow to the people!” and holding signs of their own.
A New Contract
TPSPA was negotiating to secure veteran ski patrollers’ pay raises to $40 an hour. They were also seeking cost-of-living pay increases, stipends for health insurance, and to purchase the required gear for their jobs. They also wanted a 3-year contract with their employer.
Throughout the strike, Telluride Resort continued paying its sidelined employees; however, the paychecks were scheduled to stop on Jan. 11, adding pressure and urgency to end the strike.
Details of the contract TPSPA signed have yet to be released. But The Colorado Sun reported that the union walked back its initial request by as much as 50% over more than 200 hours of negotiation.
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